The finalists for this year’s Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards were announced in September and WashingtonExec is bringing you its annual series with the nominees.

The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and Professional Services Council have unveiled the finalists for the 14th Annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards, the premier awards event for the Washington area government contracting community. The winners will be named at a Nov. 1 gala dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner.

WashingtonExec talked with one of the finalists, Sandy Corbett, founder and CEO of InCadence Strategic Solutions Corp., to get her take on the company’s approach and near-term plans, among other issues.

WashingtonExec: What is your organization’s plan for growth over the next 3-5 years?

Sandy Corbett: Over the next 5 years, InCadence is focused on continuing to innovate and lead in the mobile biometrics arena with expansion into new markets. Our strategic goals are to drive growth with innovative solutions for our customers that exceed expectations. We pair this with a parallel focus and investment in continued development of our employees, infrastructure and contract vehicles to streamline our ability to connect with our customers.

As a growing business, it’s important that we continue to empower our teams with the proper resources, tools and training to provide world-class solutions to our customers and business partners, while keeping a rich company culture with opportunities for our employees to thrive.

WashingtonExec: Given today’s government contracting marketplace, how has your organization’s approach to customers, employees and future customers changed?

Sandy Corbett: InCadence’s approach to our customers continue to be focused on their technical and operational requirements for today and the future. We have responded to an increased request for commercial off the shelf solutions with a turn-key products/software license model.

This is a shift from our predominately services-based business model over the last several years. We have also established a research and development program focused on mobile technologies and big data integration to enable us to continue to provide leading-edge technical solutions.

WashingtonExec: How does your organization maintain engagement with all levels of employees? Have millennials entering the workforce changed your company’s strategic plans or corporate policies? If so, how?

Sandy Corbett: The consistency and traditions that we’ve established as a company are how we keep employees engaged and plugged in. We plan regular site visits to stay connected to employees working remotely and on our customer sites.

Each quarter, we hold an All-Hands Quarterly Review to provide a state of the company update to keep employees informed on company growth initiatives and stimulate employee engagement to address our greatest challenges. One of our favorite events is our annual Employee Appreciation Week, where we celebrate our years in business as well as provide recognition and appreciation for our hardworking InCadence employees.

Millennials are attracted to our cutting-edge technology efforts and employee-centric culture. We encourage employees to plan a career with InCadence, not just a job, and we provide the opportunities and career path to do so. We do this through the strong mentorship of our team, investments in training and education, and opportunities for our employees to interact and engage with our customers at all levels.

WashingtonExec: How is your business involved in the community in terms of corporate citizenship?

Sandy Corbett: Investment in our community is critical to our continued growth for the future. Through sponsorship and mentoring, we actively support youth technology and STEM programs, robotics clubs and organizations. We actively look to increase diversity in the workforce through supporting initiatives to get young women interested in STEM careers. We support the broader community through Northern Virginia Family Service SERVE shelter in Manassas, Virginia, along with local veteran and law enforcement support groups.

WashingtonExec: What differentiates you from the competition?

Sandy Corbett: Our drive and innovation in the biometrics and big data communities combined with ability to rapidly recruit technical talent are distinguishing characteristics of InCadence. With these capabilities, we are able to provide unmatched technical expertise in cutting-edge technologies to solve our customers’ hard problems. We are fortunate to have industry leaders in each of these areas that continue to advance the state of the art and drive growth for our company.

WashingtonExec: What advice do you have for aspiring leaders in the government contracting industry?

Sandy Corbett: As you are growing in the government contracting industry, my advice would be to take on as much as you can at every level and learn from each opportunity regardless of how unglamorous it may seem at the time.

For me, starting my career in the government as a mail courier, on to a receptionist, then a graphic designer and ultimately progressing into more senior roles; the experiences and lessons learned turned out to be invaluable as we launched InCadence. Whether it be relationships and contacts you make along the way or the skills and understanding of the underpinnings of running a business, the experiences will serve you well as you enter leadership roles.